


Failure Is Never An Option

by commandershakarian



Series: Star Wars: The Old Republic [13]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Battle of Odessen, F/F, Mandalorian, SWTOR, Sith Warrior Outlander
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22964578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commandershakarian/pseuds/commandershakarian
Summary: A brief story about the pain of love and loss during the Battle of Odessen with a Sith Lord and her Bounty Hunter.
Relationships: Lana Beniko/Female Bounty Hunter
Series: Star Wars: The Old Republic [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/698910
Kudos: 5





	Failure Is Never An Option

An explosion rocked the ground, nearly knocking Lana over. She found cover behind a downed speeder, waiting for the unmistakable sound of droids marching ever closer. She caught a glimpse of Theron Shan making his way to where she was sheltered, knowing that they could only wait for the Outlander to end it. Lana only hoped it was sooner rather than later.

A familiar beep caught her attention. Pulling the comm from her belt, the Sith opened the channel. A dark haired woman’s visage appeared in the communication device, a pair of strange yellow-green eyes greeting her. Lana’s own eyes widened slightly at the bloodied sight of her lover, unsure of what was happening with the Mandalorians down on the field.

“Xyra? What’s happening down there? Where are the other Mandalorians?” She tried her best to sound in control, but all that came out was a breathless whisper.

“I’m sending Torian and Cora to you. They can help you defend the base. Everyone else is dead. I’m all that’s left.” Xyra wiped the sweat from her forehead with her free hand, the steel plating on her gloves scratching her skin. “Lana, I-”

“You don’t get to give up, Xyra Ordo. _You don’t._” Lana’s face turned to stone, all emotions hidden behind a wall so high that nothing would be able to penetrate it. Nothing but Xyra’s safe return.

The bounty hunter nodded her understanding, but the look on her face spoke of something else, something darker. Something that Lana couldn’t even think about. “I’ll get to you, Lana. You know me. I won’t stop until I’m dead.”

Lana closed her eyes, forcing the tears that threatened to tumble over her cheeks to a stop. When she opened them again, she found Xyra staring at her through their link, despair so clearly written across her expression. With as much energy as she could muster, Lana reached out through the force to send Xyra strength during this battle. She wasn’t sure if the bounty hunter could feel it, but Lana had to believe. She had to believe that Xyra would make it.

A crash sounded through the comm and Xyra stood, glancing at something in the distance. “Lana, they’re here.”

As the channel went silent, Lana reached out through the force again, looking for Xyra’s familiar signature, but there was nothing. Like the communication device, the force was cold and silent, all of Xyra’s warmth gone. It took everything in Lana to keep from breaking in that moment. She had to fight on. For Odessen, for the Alliance, and for Xyra. Failure wasn’t an option.

It was _never_ an option.

.........

Gritting her teeth together, Xyra tried to ignore the pain that stole every sense. She’d been injured before, but nothing like this. The droids had moved on from their massacre, looking for more of the Alliance soldiers to destroy. She had hidden herself under another body, praying to whatever God might exist out there that none of the machines would hang back to look for survivors. Thankfully their programming made them continue on, looking to maximize destruction and mayhem.

Shoving the body to the ground, she finally breathed a lungful of air. She coughed, the suffocating smoke mixing with the smell of death almost choking her. With a quick glance, she recognized the Mandalorian she had covered herself with and felt a pang of regret. He was from Clan Fett, although his first name eluded her. 

Xyra rolled to her stomach, trying to get her arms beneath her. She pushed up by her elbows, trying to get her balance enough to stand. The moment she moved her left foot, however, she realized too late that her leg was broken. The pain was excruciating and she would have screamed had she not buried her face into the dirt beneath her. It was warm, even in the cold of night. It was strangely comforting. Perhaps the grave wouldn’t be as awful as she once thought. It could be peaceful, warm… something wonderful compared to the pain that now tore at her body.

Xyra would have gladly succumbed to the death throes. It was just on the edge of periphery, mocking her with promises of comfort, of an end to the torment. Her last thoughts would have been of her daughter, wondering if she had made it back to the base. Would the Outlander return her to the Mandalorians? Shae Vizla would make sure Cora and Torian were taken care of…

A sudden movement jarred her from her thoughts and Xyra found herself face up, her mouth full of dirt and stones. Coughing, the debris left her mouth and she found she could breathe again. The air was still rancid with the death that surrounded her, but some of the smoke seemed to have cleared. Pain arched through her chest, the bullet wounds in her abdomen protesting each inhale and exhale.

“She’s breathing!” A voice called out from somewhere above her and Xyra could have sworn that she knew the person it belonged to. Something about the accent…

“Let me carry her.” A similar accent, but this was spoken by a male. Xyra felt herself being lifted from the ground, arms being careful despite their strength. “Xyra, it’s Kieran. You need to open your eyes.”

He jostled her slightly as he began to walk. She let out a cry of pain, her eyes flying open. A pair of piercing peridot eyes met hers, a face as grim as she remembered. Pieces of the Sith Warrior’s blond hair fell from his ponytail, obscuring parts of his face as he glanced at her. 

With what little strength she could muster, Xyra spoke one word. It was the only one she could think of in the painful haze. “Lana…”

“I’m here.” The other voice… of course Lana had come looking for her. Xyra turned her head slightly, her gaze searching for the Sith in the dark. The familiar golden eyes and white blonde hair were easy to distinguish from the background. “Keep your eyes on me, Xyra. We will be at the base soon.”

“Vaylin… What happened?” She gritted her teeth as Kieran stumbled on a rock or something. 

Lana glanced away briefly. Her expression was blank, but Xyra recognized the swirl of emotion in her gaze. Something had gone wrong. Xyra’s stomach felt like it had dropped out of her body.

“Cora?”

The name made Lana look back at her. “She and Torian are safe. We’ll talk when we are safe as well.”

Xyra would have nodded, but instead, she watched Lana as they continued on their journey. If she survived this, there would be hell to pay for her stupidity. She knew it was brewing within Lana, ready to burst. The thought of arguing with the woman she loved almost brought a smile to her face. In war, even the dumbest things were precious. If she survived, she wouldn’t waste her second chance.


End file.
